


All is Bright

by kittenchilton



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2014-12-12
Packaged: 2018-03-01 03:53:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2758598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittenchilton/pseuds/kittenchilton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shortly after Frederick gets out of the hospital, he and Will attempt to decorate Will's house for Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All is Bright

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if the time frame for this is quite right, but the idea was too tempting for me to care. This is 100% holiday-flavored fluff.

"DAMMIT!"  Frederick Chilton threw the string of Christmas lights down with a snarl and felt his face heat up when he realized how childish that must have looked.  Will raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Sorry," he muttered, not making eye contact.  
  
"We don't have to do this," Will said.  
  
"I want to," Frederick said, and Will couldn't help but smile a bit.  Still as stubborn as ever despite the extreme trauma he'd been through.  Nothing could take that away from him, at least.  He was just glad he'd shut the dogs in another room.  
  
It was a week after Frederick had moved into Will's house from the hospital, and Will was beginning to regret his suggestion that they put up Christmas lights.  He thought it would help cheer Frederick up, but because the ancient lights he dragged out of his garage were so tangled, it seemed to be having the opposite effect.  
  
"Then we'll do it," Will said.  He still couldn't explain why he cared about this man so much.  If the Will Graham from a year ago could see himself now, struggling with a dusty set of Christmas lights to make _Frederick Chilton_ , of all people, happy, he'd think he was having another hallucination.  But there was something in Frederick that Will found so endearing, and he just needed Will's help now, and. . . suddenly Will wanted to slap himself.  How could he be so blind?  It was obvious.  Frederick was just another of Will's strays, rescued and taken home to be cared for and loved.  Will had a lot of hurt of his own, but somehow taking care of Frederick's hurt helped him, too.  
  
Will looked over at Frederick and felt something squeeze his heart.  He just looked so small sitting there in his oversized sweater, struggling with the lights.  He was shockingly pale, and the dark circles under his eyes looked like bruises.  His once-perfect hair was disheveled, sticking up in places.  And then there was the bandage on his cheek, the sickening reminder of what Hannibal Lecter had done to him.  Done to both of them.  Will turned back to the lights, lost in thought for several minutes.  
  
"Will, I don't think I can do this."  Frederick's  voice had gone from frustrated to quiet and flat.  Will looked at him and saw the tears glittering in his green eyes.  
  
Will got up and as he did so, Frederick's face crumpled and he buried it in one hand.  Will knelt down and slowly put both arms around him.  
  
"I'm just so _tired_ ," Frederick sobbed, and Will knew what he meant.  He wished he didn't.  
  
"Frederick, you're in my house in Wolf Trap, Virginia, and it's 6:17 p.m.," Will said, his voice slightly muffled against Frederick's hair.  "I'm holding you.  You're safe."    
Frederick continued to cry, feeling awful and ashamed but also like a huge weight had been lifted.  He closed his eyes and let the tears come, calmed by the feeling of Will's arms around his exhausted body.  
  
* * *  
  
It was nearly three in the morning and Frederick had been asleep for several hours now.  Will was tired too, but his mood had gone from helpless and sad to excited.  He stomped the snow off his boots and pushed the front door open, taking care not to be too loud.  
  
"Shhh," he whispered as he turned on the light and saw Winston raise his head.  He lowered it immediately and Will smiled.  He grabbed Frederick's coat and boots from their place by the door and slowly opened the door to the guest room.  Good.  Still asleep.  
  
"Frederick."  He said this as gently as possible.  He was almost afraid to wake the sleeping man, who looked so much more at peace than he did during the day.  
  
"Hey, Frederick," he said again, this time putting a hand on his shoulder and giving it the gentlest of pushes.  
  
Frederick sat up suddenly and Will tensed, waiting.  But this time his breathing quickly returned to normal and the eyes that looked at Will in the semi-darkness weren't filled with panic.  
  
"Put these on," Will said, holding out the coat and boots.  
  
"Why?" Frederick asked.  "What time is it?"  
  
"It doesn't matter," Will said.  "Please, Frederick, just do it.  There's something you need to see.  It's not anything to worry about," he added.  
  
"Fine," Frederick said, pulling on the coat.  Fortunately he was wearing flannel pajamas and two pairs of socks.  He was the opposite of Will, always cold at night and requiring several blankets.  
  
When Frederick had dressed, Will led him out of the house into the dark winter night.  
  
"Okay, this might sound kind of weird, but don't look behind you," Will said.  "Don't. . . don't freak out.  I promise you're safe."  After several paces they stopped and he turned around, glancing back to make sure Frederick was still facing the other way.  
  
Will reached into his pocket for the switch.  "Close your eyes, Frederick," he said.  
  
"But I'm turned around, what do you-"  
  
"Please," he said, more amused than impatient.  
  
"Fine, they're closed," Frederick said.  Will pressed the button and his house, the one that looked like a boat on the water when all the lights were on, was lit up with hundreds of colorful lights.  It was beautiful and worth the several hours he'd spent untangling them and putting them up.  
  
Will put an arm around Frederick's shoulder.  "Turn around and open your eyes."  
  
Frederick did as he was told and all he could get out when he saw the lights was a choked-sounding "Will."    
  
Will turned to him and pulled him close.  "Merry Christmas, Frederick."  
  
For the first time in a long time, Frederick smiled.  It was a small one, and he winced a bit afterwards, but it was a welcome sight.  And now he was crying again, but he didn't even notice.


End file.
